'Infidel'

Published: March 25, 2007

To the Editor:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her new book, ''Infidel,'' deserved better than Ian Buruma's review (March 4). While expressing admiration for her ''courage,'' he rejects her ''descriptions of life in the West'' as ''idealized,'' with an ''almost comic-book quality.'' Elsewhere, he derides her view of the West as ''a caricature of sweetness and light.'' Meanwhile, he challenges the notion, presumably Hirsi Ali's, that ''Europeans who argue ... that Muslims might feel more at home in the West if we offered a modicum of respect for their religion, instead of insulting them at every turn, are 'stupid' or worse.''

Given her background in repressed societies, Hirsi Ali's infatuation with the principles of Western societies -- including gender equality, religious freedom, scientific inquiry and the rule of law -- is easily understood.

To her credit, she has used this newfound freedom to focus on those less fortunate. She discovered that some of these victims were living right under the noses of the guardians of democratic societies, who, it seemed, were too busy defending tolerance, even when it extended to protecting intolerance. Thus, she shouted from the rooftops about Muslim women who endure female genital mutilation, forced marriages at young ages, ''honor'' killings and denial of education to ensure subjugation. And she went up against obscurantist Islamic religious leaders who use democratic freedoms to pursue antidemocratic goals. In doing so, Hirsi Ali ruffled feathers and stepped on toes, especially those of Dutchmen (and other Europeans) whose deafening silence was exposed.

As to Buruma's claim that Europe must show greater respect for Islam, the reality is that many European nations have done just that, in some cases bending over backward to accommodate religious beliefs and needs. And where there have been lapses, many have rushed to protest. But Hirsi Ali's key point is that this must be a two-way street. Newcomers must respect and adapt to their host societies' defining principles. If not, she contends, Europe will wake up one day and no longer recognize itself as a bastion of Enlightenment values.

David A. Harris
New York

The writer is the executive director of the American Jewish Committee.

To the Editor:

Ian Buruma worries that we are taking too seriously the sexualized degradation of women in parts of the Islamic world and elsewhere. In his review of ''Infidel,'' he quibbles over the origins of sexual mutilation of women rather than confronting the thing itself. He peevishly rewrites Ayaan Hirsi Ali's journey from gender oppression to freedom as a sort of bra-burning, Danielle Steel-reading, EST-casting-off

of ''sexual repression,'' dismissing her very real enemies who would kill her for daring to defend women's humanity. Instead, Buruma actually scolds Hirsi Ali for ''flying into a rage'' over

the serious abuses she is exposing. His tone, unintentionally, speaks volumes about her struggle.

We ignore at our peril evidence that destabilized societies, Islamic or not, increasingly turn on their own women, or women in general, in reaction to pressures from without or within. This trend may foment the most important diplomatic and human rights crises of this century. Let us leave Buruma wringing his hands and pay attention this time.